PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE--ROUGH DRAFT2Prescription Drug AbusePrescription drug abuse is a very large problem in the United Sates. Statistics, studies, and evaluations on prescription drug abuseshow in depth that this is the fastest growing epidemic in the United States today. You may be asking yourself, how is this possible? What are some of the reasons as to why this addiction has come to be considered an epidemic and who is responsible for helping support these addictions? There are various reasons as to why this type of addiction is one of the worst such as, it is one of the easiest drugs that a person can get a hold of, it can at times be very hard to detect, and for the most part the abusers feel that it’s legal so they are not doing anything wrong. The abuse of prescription drugs are the second most abused drugs in our Nation, with Marijuana being first and Cocaine being third, heroin fourth, and methamphetamine fifth. This list will give an idea of exactly how serious this type of drug addiction is to our Nation today and how it will impact our future. According to the National Health Institute about 20% of people have used prescription drugs for non-medical issues (National Institutes of Health). When you are prescribed pain medication for an injury you may be told to take one pill every 4 hours but you feel that one is not working so you take two this is prescription drug abuse. You may not think that it is that big of a deal but studies say that if you abuse it once you are more at risk of abusing prescription drugs again. Although most people who abuse prescription drugs abuse pain killers there are other types that are abused also. The chart below shows the most commonly abused Rx drugs:Type of DrugCommon Brand Names of the DrugNarcotic pain relieversPercocet, Vicodin, Lortab-hydrocodone, OxyContin, DilaudidAnti-DepressantsValium, Xanax, Klonopin, Librium

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE--ROUGH DRAFT3StimulantsRitalin, Concerta, AdderallThere have been years worth of research to support that as with any other addiction it is a disease of the brain and it can be treated, just like any other disease. Doctors, pharmacies, and even the patient’s can help in treating and even the prevention of possibly becoming addicted to prescription drugs. For years prescription drug abuse has went unnoticed and unreported (National Institute of Drug Abuse) it’s also one of the most misunderstood addictions, the addiction to prescription drugs and the withdrawal from the types of drugs can be more life threatening than other commonly used street drugs. There are more people that die from prescription drug abuse than from heroin and cocaine combined annually. This stunning fact comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC found a great increase in the number of deaths caused from prescription

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